Liverpool will not be getting too carried away just yet. But while Jürgen Klopp in particular will not be publicly jumping to any conclusions, he might be starting to think that if his team is in a title race, it is likely to once again be against Manchester City.
Arsenal may yet prove that it has significantly improved its staying power compared to last season. And it would not appreciate being written off just days after spending Christmas at the top of the table. But with Mikel Arteta’s side having taken four points from the last four games, momentum appears to be stuttering earlier than it did during the last campaign.
Pep Guardiola will hope that Manchester City is going in the other direction, gearing up for its customary relentless New Year charge. It faces a steeper slope than usual, with points records already mathematically out of reach thanks to the uncharacteristically poor results, but the manager has insisted that performance levels remain more than acceptable.
And Guardiola has now sounded a warning to Liverpool and Klopp. Meanwhile, transfer activity will soon take center stage as January draws closer, and one Anfield ace is being linked to Barcelona — even being offered there, according to one report. Here are two stories from today that you’ll want to check out.
Pep Guardiola fires Jürgen Klopp warning
After all these years, Klopp certainly isn’t at any risk of taking Manchester City’s threat lightly. But after a 3-1 comeback victory over Everton, Guardiola made doubly sure, making it clear that he reminds his players ‘every day’ of the high standards that need to be met.
The win itself showcased the kind of resilience that Guardiola’s men appear to have been lacking over recent weeks, suggesting it may have been a harbinger of the usual late-season surge. The hope for Klopp and Liverpool is that the cushion it has built up — likely to be slashed to two points tomorrow — will be enough to help fend that off.
With a meeting at Anfield still to come, Klopp also has that in his back pocket, although Liverpool will have to do without Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endō in January while Manchester City loses nobody. Read the full story from Patrick Rowe here.
One advantage Liverpool could potentially boast in January is the return of Thiago Alcântara. The long-term absentee has missed the whole campaign so far, and will not be rushed back by Klopp, but the manager confirmed that all of the signs are very positive at the minute.
However, according to Más Que Pelotas, Thiago could end up leaving Liverpool in the January transfer window. Specifically, Barcelona could show an interest, with Gavi out for the season and Pedri now expected to be missing until at least the end of next month too.
Thiago has supposedly been ‘offered’ to Barcelona as a solution to these problems. But James Martin believes he should stay put, with the chance to offer a key contribution in the title charge. Read the full transfer story, along with news of a Klopp favorite potentially taking up a coaching role at Borussia Dortmund
